Descent
by Eduarda D.S
Summary: After her last encounter with Bricriu, the malevolent will o' the wisp, Fiona Phillips believes that she has given up her ability to connect with the spirit world once and for all. Little does she know that she has made herself an even greater target for the paranormal in a whirlwind of events that forces her to face the biggest battle of her life.


Fi Phillips eyed the x-ray machine gingerly as her beloved laptop disappeared through the black, plastic flaps covering its entrance. She had once read an article about how x-ray machines could mess up your computer and she usually left her laptop with her brother, Jack. But this trip was different because it was a one-way ticket to Seattle, where she would live with her Aunt Melinda for the school year while Annie toured with the Phillips band.

She walked through security, put her shoes back on and gathered her belongings and proceeded to find her terminal. "6C, 6C, 6C," Fi recited under her breath and she walked down the airport. She was beginning to get a headache. Traveling by bus never bothered her, but air travel was a different story entirely. It had been a messy morning full of longing hugs, kisses and tears. Her mother, Molly, had spent the remaining end of summer begging her to not move to Seattle.

"Fiona, we'll rearrange the bus assignments."

"Mom, we're already crowded as it is."

"Then I'll cancel the tour," Molly replied, holding her daughter's shoulders.

"Mom, you've got 25 cities looking forward to hosting your new tour," Fi said calmly. She gave her mother a small smile. She sighed. "I'm—looking forward to having a normal school year, without all the "weird" stuff, you know? I want to go to high school, meet people, I don't know, date. It'll be okay,"

Molly hugged her daughter tightly against her. They stood in the entryway of their log cabin home for what seemed to be hours.

Fiona shifted in her seat, looking around the terminal bathed in the early sunlight coming in through the oversized glass windows. She thought about firing up her laptop and checking her email, but the flight attendant started calling groups to board the American Airlines flight. She eyed a man in a tan trench coat and lowered gray fedora who sat right across from her. He was tall, and had overall large stature, but she could not see his face. Fi felt a strange sensation that this man had his eyes on her behind the brim of his hat. She touched the ring of lighter skin around her finger and thought of her last encounter with Bricriu.

"Though I have eyes, I close them tight. Snuff the candle, douse the light. Willingly, I lock the door. Break the key to see no more," Fi read from the book of Celtic Magic. The will o' the wisp zinged around the laptop screen with a bit more pep.

"Look at your ring," the light instructed. Fi eyed her great-grandmother's ring around her finger and saw the Celtic curved engravings disappear so that the band turned plain.

"The engraving," Fi breathed, "it's all gone."

"It's done! Goodbye little duck! I'm off to meet new friends!" he chimed cheerfully.

"But you can't leave. I have power over you. I know your one true name!"

"Oh yeah? Say it then," the ball of light said smugly.

"I can't remember…"

Fiona had given up her ability to attract and interact with the paranormal. She had given her ring to Annie Thalen, something that felt eerily appropriate. And when Annie had put on the ring, the Celtic engraving came back like it had been recharged. It was then that Fi knew that things had changed; it was as if a paradigm had shifted. She had accepted her new role of being normal and not seeing weird things wherever she went, but it took some getting used to. For the time being, Fi felt like she had unknowingly severed a connection to her dad. It was the biggest connection she had ever had with him.

"Group C is now welcome to board. All Group C passengers, please have your boarding pass ready," said the monotone flight attendant through the sound system. Fi grabbed her backpack and shrugged into her jacket. While the mysterious man across from her leaned forward to stand, she caught a glimpse of his obscured face. Her eyes widened as she saw that the man's face shifted as if it was a reflection in a pool of disturbed water. It went from being a solid black mask with no facial features to a human face. The human face was unstable and would generate back and forth to its strange solid black, but Fiona only caught a glimpse of it before gathering her things and rushing away from what she could only guess was a paranormal entity that had been eyeing her all along.


End file.
